Pressure flood packer



May 31, 1932*- P. H. MACK PRESSURE FLOOD PACKER 2 Sheets-Sheet Filed July 6, 1929 INVENToR Mayl, 1932.` H MACK PRESSURE FLOOD PACKER INVENTOR Patented May 31, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT Nori-ICE PATRIGK H.\MACK, OF BRADFORD, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOB, BY MESN'E ASSIGN- MENTS, T OIL WELL SUPPLY COMPANY, 0F PITTSBURGH, l PENNSYLVANIA, A

CORPORATION 0F NEW JERSEYy PRESSURE FLOOD PACKEB This invention relates to improvements in packers, and more particularly to packers dea signed for use in wells in which fluids under pressure,.as water, air or gas, or introduced' to the oil bearing sands for the purpose of flooding said sands, said packers being known as high pressure flood packers.

Packers of the character stated, as heretofore constructed, have been the source of considerable trouble when employed in flooded wells, due to the movement or slippage of the packer structure after the high pressure has been removed from the bottom of the packer, thereby destroying or lessening thepacking eiciency ofthe structure.

ln practice, pressure pumps are employed for forcing high pressure fluids of from five hundred to fifteen hundred pounds per square inch down through tubing into the oil bearing sand and beneath the packer or packers;

and, as it is the custom to treat a number of adjacently located wells in this manner at the same time, the pressure is intermittently introduced, thus subjecting the set packer to a considerable variation in pressure. A

Among the objects of the present invention are, to provide in a packer structure sim- L ple and eiicient means for preventing a movement of the packer after a release or rew duction of pressure beneath vthe packer; to

provide means automatically operable by the high introduced pressure uid for effecting an expansion and a locking of gripping means such as slips yforpre'venting movement of the packer; to provide new and improved means for preventing a rotative movement of the packer prior to the lact of setting the packer; and to provide a packer structure of the character specified thatrna be made at comparatively low cost and' which is efficient in operation and may be readily placed in operative position in a well.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate an application of my invention:l

Y Fig. l is a vertical sectional view of a packer embodying my invention, showing the parts in position whenv lowering the packer into the well;

Fig. 2 a view similar to Fi 1, showing the position of the parts after t e packer has Fig. 3, a like view showing the position of4 the parts after the packer has b een set in the well and acted on by the introduced fluid p pressure; f

Fig. 4, an enlarged detail Vertical sectional view of a portion of the packer' structure, I

showing the position of the parts as in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5, a horizontal 'sectional view taken on line V-V of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 6, a similar vlew taken on line VI-VI of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings, 5 designates a tubular body member of the packer structure; usaid body is externally threaded at its upper end, as at 6, to engage an elongated head or top portion 7, the latter being provided with internal threads 8 at its lower end to engage the upper threaded portion 6 and at its opposite end with a threaded portion 9 adapted to be coupled with a section of tubing indicated by the numeral l0.

The threaded portion of the body 5 extends downwardly for a considerable length and the headf'?, in the operation of setting the packer, is adapted to be screwed down on the said upper threaded portion.

As is usual in packer structure, an elongated packing element 11, preferably formed of rubber, is mounted on the body and, as shown, the packing element 11 is disposed between a movable counterbored collar 12 surrounding the body and a cone-shaped annular slip expanding member 13, said member 13 being counterbored as collar 12 to receive an end of the packing element. Interposed between the collar 12 and the lower end of the head 7, I provide metallic bearing rings or brass washers 14 to reduce friction when head 7 is turned on member 12 in the operation of setting the packer. a is a protective sleeve to prevent element 11 coming into Contact with the threaded portion of the body.

The tubular body member 5 isvfurther formed towards its lower end'with an external serrated portion 15, and at its lower 'l bers 17 is a ioating cone-shaped slip expanding member 20, said member 20 being connected with the retaining member 19, as shown at 21, and interposed between the upper end of the said cone-shaped member 2O and the lower portion of the tapered expanding member 13 I provide gripping means such as slip members 23. 22 designates wires employed for retaining the movable slips in position during the operation of lowering trhe packer into operative position in the well.l

The pressure exerted on the slips by the eX- pandmg members 13 and 20 in forcing the slips into engaging position will break the wires.

Secured to the lower threaded end 16 of the hollow body 5 is a coupling member 25, said coupling member being provided with pairs of vertically extending elongated lugs or projections 26 to receive therebetween a plurality of dogs 27 pivotally mounted on pivot pins 28. Said dogs 27 have at their upper ends co-operating locking means 29 adapted to co-operate with an annular member 30 having a depending annular flange 31 formed with a ledge 32 to engage a locking means on the dogs. This annular member 30 is secured to the retaining ring member 19 by means of cap screws 33.

Interposed between the said retaining ring 19 and the annular member 30 is a cup leather 34, made of rubber or other suitable material. 'Ihe function of this cup leather 34 is to direct fluid pressure under and against the unitary movable parts 3Q, 19, 17, 18 and 20, so-as to effect an upward movement of said parts in the operation of further expanding and locking the slips 23 in expanded position.

Extending downwardly from the dog supportingl coupling 25, I provide a tubular sleeve 35, said sleeve being externally threaded at -its 'upper end, as at 36, adapted to be entered in the internally threaded portion of the dog supporting member. 37 designates a collar-mounted on the lower threaded end portion of the sleeve 35, and 38 a slidable cone member mounted on the sleeve V35. Said member 38. at its lower end has secured thereto a second tubular sleeve 39, the latter having secured'to its lower fend a pipe reducer member 40 designed to connect a section 41 of an anchor pip-e thereto.

The anchor pipe extends to the bottom of the well, and 1t will be evident that after the anchor ipe strikes the bottom a continued lowering of the acker structure will bring the lower ends o the pivoted dogs or i out into engagement with the wall of the hole or well and releases the locking portions of the dogs from the member 30 and permits relative movement between the body member 5 and the annular member 30. The position of the parts of the packer structure after this action is clearly shown by Fig. 2.

Aftery the packer has been positioned against rotative action as aforesaid, the packer is set by turning the tubing. to the right; this action screws the top or head of the packer downwardly on the threaded portion of the tubular body member 5, moving the slip expanding member 13 downwardly to expand the slips 23 by the combined action of said member 13 and member 20. After this expansion is effected, a further turning of the head will force the packing element 11 into close contact'with the wall of the well, thus setting the packer.

After the introduction of the uid under high pressure into the oil sand and beneath the packer, this fluid will raise the assembled parts or elements 30, 19,/17'and 20 from the position shown by Fig. 1 to the position shown by Figs. 3 and 4, and this action will further expand the slips 23 and lock them in expanded position, due to the action of the serrated means 17 cooperating with the serrations 15 of the tubular body. By mounting "the means 17v on a resilient member 18, as a rubber ring, it will be understood that said means 17 has a movement independent of its co-operating slip expanding member 20. This is-due to the resilient action of the rubber which, upon upward movement of the said parts, has been deformed into the shape shown by Fig. 4.

vIt will be apparent that as the expanding member 20 has been moved upwardly and slightly away from the means 17, the rubber will force said means 17 upwardly and that the co-operati-ng serrated portions on the body and said means will lock the expanding member 20, and in turn the slips 23in their complete expanded position.

lli

I claim:

1. In a well acker, a body member formed with a serrated portion, slips, means for expanding the slips, and iuid Iactuated means associated with the expanding means for further expanding and locking the slips in eX- panded osition including a resilient member and we ging means mounted thereon, said wedging means having serrated portions for o-(pperation with the serrated portion of the 2. In a well packer, a body member formed with a serrated portion, slips, means for expanding the slips, and fluid actuated means associated with the expanding means for further expanding and locking the slips in expanded position including a resilient mem'- ber wedging means mounted thereon, said wedging means having serrated portions for co-operation with the serrated portion of the body, spaced-apart annular members, and a cup leather interposed between the annular members, said annular members supported from the slip expanding means.

3. In a well packer, a body member, packing means for sealing the body member in a well, gripping means capable of being expanded into engagement with surrounding walls of the well for securing the body member in position, and meanslfor expanding the gripping means including expandi'nr members movable inwardly toward eac other from opposite sides of the gripping means, fluid actuated means for moving one of said y expanding members inwardly and means for retaining the same in inward position after being moved to such position.

4. In a well packer, a body member, packing means for sealing the body member in a well, gripping means capable of being ex- \panded into engagement with surrounding walls of the well for securing the body'member in position, and means for expanding the gripping means including an expandlng member `operable by hydraulic pressure.

5. In a well packer, a body member, packing means for sealing the body member in a well, gripping means capable of being expanded into engagement with surrounding walls of the well for securing the body member in position, and means for expanding the grippingv means including expanding members movable toward each other from opposite sides of the gripping means, one of said expanding members being operable by hydraulic pressure, and a ratchet device for checking return movement of said last mentioned expanding member. n.

6. In a well packer, a body member, packmg means for sealing the bodyl member in a well, gripping means capable 4of being expanded into engagement with surrounding walls of the well for securingthe. bodv member in position, and means for expanding Athe gripping means including an expanding member operable by hydraulic pressure, and a ratchet device for checkin return movement of said expanding mem er.

7. In a well packer, a body member, a packing element associated therewith, gripping means capable of being expanded into enagement with surrounding Walls for securing the body member in position, fluid actuated means for expanding the gripping means, anddogs pivotally supported on the body for engaging surrounding walls to prevent rotation of said body, said iluid actuated expanding means and said dogs having cooperating interen aginvr portions.

8. In a well pac er, abody member, a packing element associated therewith, gripping means capable of being expanded into engagement with surrounding walls for securing the body member in position, fluid actuated means for expanding the gripping means, dogs pivoted on the body for engaging surrounding walls to prevent rotation of said body, said dogs having locking engagement with said expanding means when in retracted position and operable to release said expanding means when swung to expanded position, and means for expanding the do s.

9.y In a well packer, a body member, pac ing means for sealing .the body member in a well, gripping means capable of being expanded into engagement with surrounding walls of the well for securing the body member in position, and means actuated by fluid pressure in the well beneath the packer for expanding the gripping means.

10. In a well packer, a body member, packing means for sealing the body member in a well, gripping means capable of being expanded into engagement with surrounding walls of the well for securing the body member in position, and means for expanding the gripping means including an actuating member reciprocable longitudinally of the well anilil exposed to hydraulic pressure in the we In testimony whereof I aix si ature. PATRICK gn III?, MACK. 

